Confession time. I've been avoiding writing this chapter's review. This chapter makes me angry. Why? Because it's about the "f" word: feminism. Don't get me wrong; Mary Kassian does a beautiful job explaining the foundational beliefs & resulting consequences of feminism. These two things are what make me angry. They're why "feminism" is a four-letter word in our home.
Oh, that I had the time or ability to comprehensively delve into all of those beliefs & consequences. For that, you must read the chapter*; Mary does a far better job than I could ever hope to. But, I will highlight what I think is of utmost importance & point out some truths that I think are foundational for both men & women to understand.
Nowadays, if you denounce feminism, you will be accused of relegating women mute & subservient to the back of the room; I speak from personal experience. But that's a skewed caricature at the least. It is a common (& pervasively perpetuated) belief that men want nothing more than this very thing, even (especially?) Christian men. But did you know that "when the Bible is actually properly taught, history shows that women's status improves" (Radical Womanhood, pg. 38)? Bearing this out is the fact that in Hebrew society - where Scripture was highly valued & taught - women "had a status equal to or greater than the status of many men" (RW, pg. 101). Furthermore, "women were also educated. . . . Because female literacy rates are often a window into the value of women in any given culture or society, it is a reflection of their essential equality in worth & value that Hebrew women were literate & bore the main responsibility for educating their children" (RW, pg. 101). I'm pointing this out because "an adherence to orthodox Christianity leads to oppression of women" is a commonly believed falsehood that must be debunked. As must the belief that women & men who oppose feminism hate women. That's simply not true. We don't hate women; we hate opposition to God.
Feminism is a dominant (if not the predominant) belief held in our culture that has spread its tentacles into every facet of our lives. You see it in the way women live their lives (both professionally & personally), in the way they dress, in the way they speak about & interact with men, in the way they bear & rear children, in the way they relate to God. No area of life remains untouched by this poison. And it's unquestioned by the vast majority of people; it's taken for granted as truth. Therefore, "it's important to understand that feminism encompasses much more than the cultural phenomenon of the women's rights movement. . . . Feminism is a distinct worldview with its own ideologies, values, & ways of thinking" (pg. 56). So, back to the foundations of feminism. Did you know that feminism was born out of one woman's (Simone de Beauvoir) staunch belief that "women needed to get out of the home & intentionally deconstruct Judeo-Christian ideas about marriage, motherhood, & morality" (pg. 58)? Her beliefs were wholeheartedly embraced by Betty Friedan who "suggested that in order to find fulfillment, American women should begin to question, challenge, & rebel against the accepted roles of wife & mother & traditional thoughts about morality" (pg. 59). This was during the 50s, when these predominant "traditional thoughts" were guided by Scripture. It doesn't take much to see that this exhortation to "question, challenge, & rebel" was directed at nothing less than God's holy Word. And her coup de grace, the statement that sums up the core belief of feminism: "We [women] need & trust no other authority than our own personal truth!" (pg. 59)
Some women espouse a "Christian feminism". Read the last paragraph, particularly the last sentence, & tell me if you see anything wrong with that. Feminism is built upon a foundation of tearing down biblically-based beliefs. It's built upon ripping apart Scripture. It has as its main goal the shunning of any authority over our lives save our own. Each individual person decides what is right & wrong, what is truth & error. Not Scripture, not God, not God-ordained human authority. We, & we alone, determine ultimate truth. "What's true for you may not be true for me." How many times have we heard this? How many times have we actually believed it ourselves?! If God's Word is not our guide for marriage, motherhood, & morality, then we are nothing more than rafts at sea sporting a broken sail & bereft of a compass, "tossed to & fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." (Eph. 4:14) If Scripture isn't our foundation, then we're easily swayed by our own emotions; by the advice of friends; by commercials, TV shows, movies, & magazines; by false prophets who tickle our ears with what we want to hear. There is pure folly in following this path. You will find no wisdom, no truth, no salvation on this road. Sadly, it is the road oft-traveled.
Feminism's stranglehold on society found an initial foothold because there was a legitimate issue. Women were not held equal in society. There was discontentment; women were feeling unfulfilled for a reason. But because the diagnosis was in error, the treatment resulted in death, not healing. Women weren't unfulfilled because they were "trapped" at home. They weren't unfulfilled because they couldn't vote. We know this to be true, because women got everything that feminism promised. . . except that ever elusive fulfillment. We can vote, we can work any job a man can, we make equal wages, we have economic & sexual freedom. And women are even more dissatisfied & discontented (& debased, I might add) than ever. Women were (& are still) unfulfilled because they didn't have a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Feminism is a deliberate turning away from God, His Son, & His Holy Spirit toward self-determination & self-reliance. It is a lie from Satan himself. It is the way of death. We need to turn from ourselves, turn from our sin, & cry out to God for salvation that only comes from Him. Only in Him will we finally find true fulfillment.
The thief comes only to steal & kill & destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ~John 10:10
Okay, so there were several quotes that I wasn't able to fit into the last 2 posts that I simply must give to you! These are my favorites, that were not only the recipients of highlighter vomit but also received stars:
"And regardless of how complex, convoluted, or impossible your situation may seem or actually be right now, the wisdom of God is much more than adequate to walk you through it. 'For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men' (1 Cor. 1:25)." (pg. 33)
"But we stand in this line with the Lord Jesus, for whom the ways of God meant divesting Himself of His rights, experiencing rejection & ridicule on a scale never known by anyone before or since, then ultimately enduring a cruel death on the cross. 'How inscrutable.'" (pg. 37)
"The appropriate response to the fathomless depths of God's wisdom & ways is to step out of the spotlight & turn the spotlight on Him. It is to say, 'Amen!' - wholeheartedly affirming our agreement with the Word of God." (pg. 39)
"The way God goes about redeeming this broken world is so very different than the way we would do it. So when we can't understand what He's doing or why He's doing it, it's not our place to challenge or dispute, but rather to humbly bow before His sovereignty, His goodness, His mercy, & His greatness - 'the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God' - & to align ourselves with His purposes, embracing His will." (pg. 42)
Remember the third point in Part 2, about us saying, "Yes, Lord"? Well, Nancy also shows that saying "Yes, Lord" will mean that we say "no" to some things & "yes" to others. Would you like to know what these things are? Buy the book! ;-) Seriously, you'll be glad you did.
Today, let's move to the so what of Romans 11:33-36 as laid out in Voices of the True Woman Movement. We all know, or I hope we do, that we don't come to Scripture just to gain knowledge. We don't read Scripture just for the what, right? After all, the heart of Scripture is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's all His story & we all know that there's both a what & a so what. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died the only sin-atoning & wrath-absorbing death, rose again from the grave, & ascended into heaven where He reigns at the right hand of the Father. There's the what, & the so what is that we are now children of God & co-heirs with Christ who have been commanded to love one another, serve & worship God with all of our hearts, & make disciples of all nations. Scripture influences our lives. It doesn't just work that way with the Gospel. Since all of Scripture is about Jesus - either in foreshadowing, in consummation, or in expectation of His return - then all of Scripture has so what applications for our lives.
I have to say that, although I thoroughly enjoyed this whole chapter, I particularly relished this "response" portion. The fact that my highlighter threw up all over this entire chapter bears this out. Everything in me shouted, "YES!" as I read Nancy's 3 main responses of a true woman to the truth of God's Word.
1.) A true woman lives a God-centered life. (pg. 40) "She lives to reflect the beauty & wonder of His ways & to join every created thing in heaven & earth in glorifying & worshipping Him eternally. This is her reason for living." A true woman realizes that her life is not about her. It's not about her comfort or her discomfort. It's not about her realizing her dreams or seeing them dashed. This life is not about us. It's all about Him. Our every desire should be wrapped up in seeing God glorified, however that may come about. And when - not if - our path leads through suffering, we must remember that "our greatest problems, no matter how enormous & unsolvable they may seem, become puny when measured against the vastness of God." When we stay focused on God, our lives are put into perspective. And, not only this, but focusing on God inevitably gives us hope!
2.) A true woman trusts in God. (pg. 41-43) As we all know, suffering is a part of life. We are told time & again in God's Word that trials will come our way. And sometimes, we can feel so overwhelmed that we lose sight of God. We sometimes even feel like He's not there. Sometimes, we become very afraid by an uncertain future that is completely out of our control. "But the true woman doesn't give in to fear. . . . She knows the One in charge of 'all things' can be trusted to know what He's doing. He has a plan we would not have scripted, a plan we may not understand, but it is His plan, & His plan is good, wise, & can never be thwarted. So a true woman accepts His plan as good, though it may not be the way she defines as good. She knows it's God who defines good, so she leans on Him." One thing that struck me in reading this point is that God has shown Himself trustworthy through the ages by keeping His promises. Each time I see a rainbow, I am in awe that a biblical promise is being kept right before my very eyes. Praise be to God, that He kept the ultimate promise when He sent His Son to be born as one of us as our perfect sacrifice! He has shown Himself faithful. We can trust Him completely.
3.) A true woman says, "Yes, Lord." (pg. 43-45) The focus of this chapter has been Romans 11:33-36, but if you read Romans 12:1 - which directly follows this passage - you find that Paul appeals to the brethren "by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, living & holy & acceptable to God." In writing this post, it's occurred to me that these points all really flow into & overlap each other. The theme that runs through them all is that God is in control & we are to respond to Him in worshipful submission. We are to sacrifice our plans, our desires, our will to His plans, desires, & will out of a heart that has one overarching goal: to bring Him glory. I mean, we absolutely could push to live our lives our way to achieve our purposes; many people do. But if we do that, we must remember that we are then living for that which is passing away. This world will end. But the Word of God endures forever. Don't be foolish & toss aside the imperishable for the perishable. Listen to my favorite paragraph of all: "[The true woman] lives intentionally, not just drifting from one meaningless activity to the next, letting the circumstances of life pull her along. She's willing to be like a salmon, swimming upstream, living a counter-cultural life in an unholy world for the glory of God. She's willing to make personal sacrifices, not constantly asking, 'What will make me happy?' Rather, she wants to know: 'What will please You, Lord?' 'What will further Your kingdom?' 'What will display Your glory?' Her heart attitude is, 'If it pleases You, it pleases me.' The true woman reflects the spirit of Mary of Nazareth when she said in response to God's calling, 'I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word'" (Luke 1:38).
Before we leave this chapter, let us remember that we can't be this "true woman" on our own. It's tempting to read these points with a self-reliant attitude, but that's exactly the opposite of what our attitude should be. We must remember that we can't "succeed" at any part of the Christian life apart from the grace of God. It's right & good for us to want to be this kind of woman, to want our desire to be solely for God & His glory. But it's wrong to think we can do so without His help. So, as we ponder "the depth of the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God" & seek to apply His Word to our lives, let us also remember the cross of Christ where we laid down our selves & were clothed with Him.
Oh, the depth of the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & how inscrutable His ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?" For from Him & through Him & to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:33-36
These verses - & the chapter that expounds upon them - are a mountaintop experience. As Nancy Leigh DeMoss states, this doxology connects the what of Romans 1-11 to the so what of the rest of the book. And when you stop to behold the transcendent beauty inherent in these verses, it simply takes your breath away. It did mine. In order to give you the same sense of awe as I gained in reading this chapter, I'm going to devote 2 posts to it - one for the what & one for the so what.
"This passage . . . gives us a perspective - a grid - for responding to His sovereign choices in our lives, especially those we cannot understand." (pg. 29) And aren't there a lot of those? There are a lot of circumstances in our lives that we just simply can't understand why they're happening the way that they are. If we were in charge, we would orchestrate things in a much more painless way. Why is God doing it this way? Why do I have to experience strife in family relationships or discontentment in my job? Why is it necessary to go through a spiritually dry season? To put it bluntly, as these very verses show, because He has a depth of wisdom, knowledge, & judgment that is beyond us. We can't search them out. We can't easily understand them. We have to get it through our heads that our way is wrong & God's way is right. . . & we don't have to understand it. He is wholly other & completely above us in all ways. Unlike us, He has no lack of wisdom or knowledge. Nothing escapes or surprises Him. He knows everything about the momentous events of history all the way down to the minute details of our every day lives. He not only knows them, He's in control of them. And this brings immense comfort to His children because we know that no matter how out of control we are, He never is. Nothing ever happens to us apart from His will. And because "God works all things together for good for those who love Him & are called according to His purpose", we can rest assured that when we get that dreaded diagnosis or lose our job or face infertility or any other crisis, He is taking care of us. His plans are for our good, not for our demise. Even when - especially when - it hurts, we can know that He's working His sanctification in us, so that we will be like Him. How can we know that? "For from Him & through Him & to Him are all things." All of the circumstances in history & in our personal lives happens in order to bring Him glory. When evil occurs, He receives glory in His wrath toward that evil or in bringing the evil doer to repentance & forgiving that evil in His mercy. When one of His children suffers well, such as Rachel Barkey, trusting in Him come what may, He receives immense glory! When one of His children gives up a comfortable life to spend their lives living out & preaching the Gospel, such as Katie Davis, God receives glory! When parents joyfully raise their children in the fear & admonition of the Lord, faithfully going about their daily duties out of love for God, He receives glory. What in the world makes such people trust & serve a God they cannot see or touch? Faith. Faith that God's "riches & wisdom & knowledge" are of such unfathomable depth that we can never know them fully. Faith that lets go of having to know everything God knows for one simple reason: He knows it & that's enough. Faith that knows that God is good & only gives the best gifts to His children. Faith that knows that even when it hurts, God is there, He's working out His plan - again, for our good - & in the end He will get the glory & we will receive immense blessing. This faith is not of us. It's of God alone. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
If you have spent any time with me at all, you know who my favorite pastor is. All together now . . . John Piper! You've no doubt heard me expound upon all of his worthy attributes in glowing terms, so I won't go into that today (maybe). Suffice it to say, though, that I'm thrilled that the very first chapter in Voices of the True Woman Movement is authored by him. I remember hearing this message on the CDs from the True Woman '08 conference. Michael & I listened to it repeatedly, it was so fantastic. The chapter is no less electric. I'll attempt not to constantly quote him word-for-word, but - I'll warn you - that will be hard, because he's got such quotable thoughts!
Three points stand out for me in this chapter entitled "The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood".
1) "Wimpy theology makes wimpy women."I know I said I would try to refrain from quoting Piper word-for-word. I'm going back on my word here, but I guarantee you'll thank me. There's no way I could put this like he does! "Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, & good enough to handle the realities of life in a way that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ. Wimpy theology is plagued by woman-centeredness & man-centeredness. Wimpy theology doesn't have the granite foundation of God's sovereignty or the solid steel structure of a great God-centered purpose for all things." And don't you find this true in real life? Don't you know women that use human-centered explanations for God rather than God-centered exultations in God? When trials meet this woman, she will whine, complain, get angry, blame Satan, or walk away from God altogether. And, in all truthfulness, she will be more than happy to have her influence come from the culture around her & her own fleshly desires than from God's Word. But, we do have to be careful to define the opposite of wimpy. This sentence made me laugh out loud: "The opposite of a wimpy woman is not a brash, pushy, loud, controlling, sassy, uppity, arrogant Amazon." HA! All of us have known or have been the wimpy woman, & all of us have known or have been the Amazon woman. Some of us have been both. But neither are strong, God-centered women. So, how do we become her?
2) Robust, God-centered theology makes strong, God-centered women. I can attest from personal experience how life-changing God-centered theology is. Thinking about God correctly - & yes, there is a correct way to think about God - comes from a correct interpretation & application of Scripture. God has given us a way to know Him in His Word. And in that Word, we find a treasure trove that ultimately leads us to the way to know God - Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Savior. Only this robust, God-centered theology can make a young girl choose imprisonment for 38 years until her death rather than reject her faith. Or make a wife choose love & forgiveness for the people whom she & her family had spent 3 decades ministering to, only to have them burn her husband & two young sons alive. Or make her young daughter exclaim praise to God that He had found her father worthy to die for Him. Or make women with physical handicaps trust in God unwaveringly & even rejoice in their infirmities because they've been driven to Him. Or a woman who has lost both her husband & her mother & discovered cancer in her own body realize that what she needs most is not relief from her trials but forgiveness & cleansing from her sin of self-pity & self-centeredness (pg. 18-19 contains all of these examples). This very robust theology is the only thing that was able to free me from years of devastation & anger over my molestation. It was only when I realized how vile & wretched my sin is against our infinitely holy God, & yet He forgave me, that I was able to be cleansed from the sin committed against me. Only robust, God-centered theology leads to cleansing, freeing faith in Christ.
As incredible as all of this is, this only leads up to Piper's main point, which is that:
3) Women are distinctly created by God to bring Him glory in their femininity. Okay, here's the bottom line. Women & men are different. Not just anatomically, but we're created to be different. And our differences are created to complement each other, to bring out the best in each other. I glorify God in my femininity in a way wholly different from how Michael glorifies God in his masculinity. God designed it this way. How? In our roles. Ephesians 5:22-24 says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, & is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands." This is the complementarian view of marriage, & it's thoroughly biblical. Remember, this is how we bring out the best in each other & glorify God distinctly. A husband is the loving, protecting, providing, sacrificing head of his wife - just as Christ is for the church. And a wife fulfills her calling in lovingly honoring, affirming, & supporting her husband's leadership in humble submission - just as the church submits to Christ. These are not interchangeable any more than you can interchange Christ & the church in these verses. After all, you can't have the church being the head of Christ & Christ submitting to the church, now can you? The extent to which we faithfully demonstrate these truths in our marriages is the extent to which we reflect Christ & the church to the world.
But, what if you're not married? Piper has a section devoted to how women can glorify God in their femininity through singleness, too. And he gives 3 beautiful examples of this:
1) It demonstrates to the world that only faith in Christ grows God's family,
2) It demonstrates to the world that your family in Christ is more permanent & precious than your family by blood,
3) It demonstrates that marriage is temporary by pointing to Christ & the church, for whom marriage is simply a mirror.
"God's ultimate purpose in creating the world & choosing to let it become the sin-wracked world that it is, is so that the greatness of the glory of Christ could be put on display at Calvary where He bought His rebellious bride at the cost of His life." (pg. 19-20).
Voices swirl around us every day. Voices speaking to us, calling to us, exhorting us to listen to & believe them. The siren call comes from out of the movies & TV programs we watch, the music we listen to, the books & magazines we read. It even comes to us in the voices of our friends, family, &, yes, our own thoughts. And these voices may carry life or death into our lives, depending on their message.
"So much is determined by which voices we hear & heed: our sense of who we are & why we are here; the way we relate to others; the choices we make; the way we spend our moments & years; our personal, emotional, & spiritual well-being; & yes, the ultimate outcome of our lives." (pg. 11, Voices of the True Woman Movement)
That's the voice of Nancy Leigh DeMoss, author of Lies Women Believe & the Truth That Sets Them Free & host of Revive Our Hearts. Hers is a voice worth listening to & trusting, because she is influenced - nay, molded & defined - by God. When she speaks, she speaks not from her own opinions & prejudices, but from the authority of God's Word. She studies His Word & she applies it to our lives with amazing wisdom, insight, & love.
Hers is just one voice in the True Woman Movement. This is a movement dedicated to "calling women to be 'true women' of God, to anchor their lives in His Word, to live out what it means to be redeemed women, & to embrace His calling for their lives" (pg. 13). The book Voices of the True Woman Movement is a result of the first True Woman conference that took place in 2008. This book is going to be the focus of my next several posts. As this was one of the top books on my wish list, I eagerly signed up to get this book for free in exchange for blogging about each chapter. I have listened to Nancy for more than 3 years now, including going through her "True Woman Makeover" twice, & have never failed to walk away with an enriched faith in God. She constantly encourages me that I can be a godly woman in all of my roles through the strength of Christ. Hers is a message of life - everlasting life as only found in the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please join me as she & so many others speak these life-giving words into our lives.
The most amazing thing about both of us is that we've been saved from our sins by God through the perfect life, death, & resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ! We are both sinners in the process of being sanctified by our Lord so that one day we will reflect Christ perfectly. It's not always easy or fun, but it is always worth it, because nothing is more valuable than Christ!
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